The Dunmer Thief
by bloobeeblah
Summary: The year was 4E 202, in Skyrim, the northernmost province of Tamriel. Just as the legendary Elder Scrolls had foretold, the fabled Dragonborn slew the fearsome Alduin, saving Skyrim from certain doom. This story, however, isn't about such events. Rather, it is a story of multiple people who's lives and stories are interwoven from their experiences in Tamriel.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

The year was 4E 201, in Skyrim, the northernmost province of Tamriel. Just as the legendary Elder Scrolls and the ancient Alduin's Wall had foretold, the fabled Dragonborn slew the fearsome Alduin, saving Skyrim from certain doom.

This story, however, isn't about such events, rather, it's a story starting from as far back as the Great War. It is a story of a family torn apart.

Born to a Dunmer survivor of the Red Year and an Imperial captain, Andendryn was born in 4E 170, in the Grey Quarter of Windhelm. His father, Tapentius Plepter, was never around as long as he could remember, as he had left when he was only a year old to join the Great War. There was another reason, as well. He was a vampire. His mother, Irimeni Llomo, didn't like the idea of a vampire raising her child. So when the father left, she told him never to return. But he did.

When Andendryn reached his eight winter, Tapentius returned, attempting to take Andendryn from her. The two fought verbally, then physically, as they attacked each other with spells. It was a short battle, and by the time guards and citizens came to see the commotion, the house burned in a great fire. Both of the parents' fates were unknown.

The child however, escaped the home and left Windhelm by hiding in a cart of cargo headed for Whiterun, living off thievery and dishonesty, as he had nothing to eat. He had an inborn gift of larceny, as he was born under the sign of the Thief. Later in his teenage years, he'd get into the skooma business after encountering a Khajiit working for a drug kingpin operating somewhere in Rihad. He dealt skooma either to travelers on the road, or in the cities themselves, always on his toes with the help of fellow dealers he'd befriended.

They perished, however, after one of the dealers had betrayed the drug lord by ratting him out to the authorities and stealing the funds. Andendryn had been captured and sentenced to execution in Riften, and would've been dead, had it not been for Brynjolf and the Thieves Guild bailing him out. After they invited him into the Guild, which he accepted, began working for them as a home burglar.

He enjoyed the benefits of being in the Guild, but only for a while. The injustice and fear the Guild brought upon the hardworking citizens had given Andendryn great guilt. After a botched robbery, he left the Guild, stealing a portion of their finances and injuring Dirge. He was certain the Guild was after him now, so he took on several aliases as he stole only for beggars and struggling families across Skyrim.

This story will detail this vigilante's war on corruption from the shadows, as he rights his wrongs, and encounters people from his dark past.


	2. Chapter 2: Creeping Shadow

**Chapter 2: Creeping Shadows**

"I've got you now!"

Andendryn clutched the wrist of the armed bandit as his back as slammed onto the rock wall of the cave. The blade of the dagger inched ever closer to the half-elf's ear.

"You won't leave our turf alive, half-breed!" The cutthroat's breath smelt of stale alcohol as he barked his threat in Andendryn's face. His eyes were unsettling, however, as though something else was there. He sent a knee into the bandit's crotch, and then a fist at his jaw. As the bandit staggered back, Andendryn rammed full-force onto the possessed highwayman, knocking him off his feet. He snatched the rolls of paper and bolted for the hallway.

The scrolls were vital to Andendryn's recent investigation. A murder of an entire family living in Dragon Bridge was hardly looked on by the guards, as too many pieces of evidence pointed at the murders being done by a vampire. And obviously, vampires were rarely pursued by guards, mostly out of fear. So he took the matter into his own hands.

He had been doing this for a while, now. Traveling across Skyrim, stealing from coffers of rich families and distributing them to struggling families, solving crimes, on an endless crusade against injustice and oppression amongst the working class. Though some will see this as some self-righteous crusade by a disgruntled and greedy ex-Thieves Guild member, such comments don't bother him as much as he used to. After all, the thought grew in the back of his mind, a thorn on his side, for a long while now.

He made a turn and found the tunnel leading out, surrounded by rocks, dirt, and corpses. A trail of blood came from the exit. The vampire responsible for turning the whole cave had escaped before Andendryn had arrived. He quickly opened the scrolls to read the contents within.

Drascus,

The perpetrator of the atrocities committed in Dragon Bridge must remain anonymous, for their own good.

We, along with Carmelus and the others, will rendezvous at an abandoned home in Solitude to discuss future actions to further my plans.

~A

Andendryn could hear the footsteps of remaining bandits in the cavern. Without hesitation, he leapt for the exit, the cold breeze beckoning him out.


	3. Chapter 3: Enemies of the Empire

It had been a day since the encounter at the fort, and he had already been on his way to Solitude the moment he got out. His feet were sore from walking through the roads, as the horse he had stolen earlier was too dead to take him there.

And it had started to rain. Just his luck.

But before he went up the incline towards the city, he stopped at a seemingly abandoned shack to rest. The outside looked as though there were a fire a long time ago, its wooden panels charred and blackened. Cracks and openings appeared on the walls, so large you could see any commotion inside from a distance. This spot wasn't like this in its prime, however. This had been a place to lie low for Andendryn if he ran into big trouble after, say, a botched robbery. Though he used it frequently in his Guild days, he still uses it to store useful items even now.

He stepped inside, greeted with a row of chests, almost as soaked as he was from the rain, due to the obvious lack of a decent roof. This was a minor annoyance, however, as he started to take off his light armor. He opened one of the chests, and quickly pulled out a random green tunic and black boots. After putting on the articles of clothing, he strapped on a bow, a quiver filled with arrows, and a dagger.

A torrent of rain had suddenly poured from the sky, accompanied by lightning. Though the outside was a victim to the downpour, the shack wasn't exempt from the shower. Now drenched in rain, Andendryn closed the chest and hurried out, disgruntled and slightly irritated by the sudden eruption from nature itself.

The note had said there'd be a meeting between the perpetrator and his lackeys at a house in Solitude. Whatever they were to discuss was bound to be no good. But whoever they were, Andendryn would interrupt their congregation of evil, and bring due justice.

After he entered the city under the guise of a random trader, he made his way to the aforementioned home. No address had been given prior, so the thief had to sneak between the house and the one adjacent to it, and peek through the windows to see if it were any empty. And just as he thought, the interior only consisted of an upturned bookshelf.

He began to climb up the windows, peeking inside the window of the top floor. Empty, save three people in Imperial armor conversing at the doorway. Soon enough, they left. Now was his time.

He slowly opened the window and crept inside, carefully closing it behind him. Now that he was inside, the half-elf continued his little investigation looking through the rooms as the men below conversed. Their conversation, however, was quite interesting.

"Where is Aicaranil? The Altmer had to show up with our captive."

"The damn elf is old. It'll take time."

The back door then opened, and the two men rushed over to the other room. Andendryn crept down the stairs and snuck just behind the doorway to continue listening on.

"I apologize for my tardiness, gentlemen. He's here."

The creaking whine of a cart being upended was heard, followed by a thump and a groan. He peeked over the doorway momentarily to see what the commotion was. The two men, no, three, were illuminated by a mere candlelight. But he could see their looks. One of the soldier's faces were riddled with scars, but what stood out the most was his glowing orange eyes. The same for the elderly, worn Altmer, and the mustached Breton. Perhaps these were vampires.

The hefty bag that had plummeted to the ground wriggled and writhed. The Breton legionnaire undid the strings and gave the bag a light kick, and out came an exhausted old Nord. Had he been kidnapped? Why?

"You won't get away with this, Carmelus! Albnivus! The Empire will hear of your crimes." The Nord spat.

"They can't catch us, you old rat. They're too busy handling their own petty affairs." Aicaranil cackled as he wiped the grime from small scalpel. The scarred man, presumably Carmelus, began to tie the old man to the stairwell. They were going to extort information from him. And it wasn't going to be easy, it seemed. Without any forethought, the half-elf leapt from behind the doorway and held out his dagger. The men jolted their heads to Andendryn's direction, hands on the hilts of their Imperial blades.

"Well, well, a do-gooder has placed his nose in a place he cannot return from." Carmelus sneered, revealing his sharpened fangs as he unsheathed his sword. "Pity, too. This was already looking to be a good day for us."

"What are you doing with that old man? You'd better answer!"

"Or what? Like that dagger could hold us all off."

The old mer squinted, and chuckled. "Fear not, Carmelus, for the day has yet to be finished. I know this one. He stormed right into my fort and began killing my fledglings. Looks like he escaped. But not in time, for I have brought the main cargo here. Unfortunate. We were to have our fun with this old bag of bones, then drain him dry. Now we have two."

In one swift movement, Andendryn hid behind the doorway, protecting himself from a strong lightning bolt spell. He grabbed a spare sword lying on a weapons rack, and entered a bout with the two soldiers. Their battle continued up the stairs, and into a room with a single window facing the street.

The Altmer stood behind and chuckled as he took his scalpel. He was determined not to let the young mer's intrusion deter the torture session they were to have with the old man. But before he could react, the Nord appeared behind him and began to suffocate him with the very cloth he was tied up with. Aicaranil gave up quickly, and slipped into unconscious, before the man grabbed his scalpel and slit the Altmer's throat.

The fight upstairs continued. It looked as though Carmelus and Albnivus had the upper hand, as they cornered Andendryn with brute strength and swift movements. Albnivus, however, was hit in the back by a flying shield, thrown by the old Nord.

"Bastard!" The Breton yelled as he charged towards the Nord, locked in combat with swords as well. Carmelus pinned Andendryn to the window and pressed the blade ever closer to his throat. Albnivus bumped into the Breton, allowing for the half-elf to take advantage by grabbing his sword. After a brief struggle, the fight was soon taken outside after they had crashed through the window and onto the street. Albnivus eventually brought the Nord back down using a lightning bolt spell. The old man was defeated.

Meanwhile, Carmelus and Andendryn lay on the street floor surrounded by glass shards, as they weakly went to grab their blades and continue. The nearby guards, however, had been alerted by the crash, and rushed over with weapons drawn.

"What's going on here?" One of them barked as Carmelus stood up.

"This prisoner here," Carmelus bent down to grab the weakened Andendryn by his arms. "had escaped our… interrogation. I'd like to bring him back as soon as possible. He's a dirty thief, and likely linked to the murders at Dragon Bridge."

"Name and rank, Imperial."

"Praefect.. Marcus Carmelus Flaenia Pontanian, sir."

The guard squinted. "That name is familiar… was your father linked to the ill-fated 13th legion?"

"Yes.. yes, indeed. My father was killed on duty during the Great War."

The guard sheathed his weapon. "Oh, I see. I apologize for your loss, Marcus, was it? Carry on, legionnaire."

Carmelus sighed and smirked as the guards returned to their posts, looking back at the door as he dragged Andendryn back into the house.


End file.
